ITV4 and British Eurosport to screen daily live coverage of Tour of Britain 2013

British cycling fans can look forward to more world-class action on their televisions, following the confirmation that the tenth anniversary Tour of Britain will be shown live on both ITV4 and British Eurosport this September.

The announcement follows Wednesday’s news that SweetSpot Group had retained the rights to organise and promote The Tour of Britain from 2014 onwards.

Following another successful Tour de France for British riders, action from Britain’s biggest professional cycle race will be shown on both channels for the first time this September, building upon ITV4’s successful live coverage of the 2012 Tour of Britain.

“We are delighted to once again be able to confirm live television coverage for The Tour of Britain”, said Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive of race organisers SweetSpot Group.

“The increased coverage in 2013 will ensure that spectators now have a choice of ways to watch The Tour, showcasing our venues, stakeholders and partners to a greater audience than ever before.”

This year’s Tour of Britain runs from 15th – 22nd September, starting in Peebles in the Scottish Borders and ending with an iconic final stage at the heart of London.

In addition to live coverage, ITV4 will continue to broadcast the highly popular daily highlights programmes of The Tour of Britain each evening, as the channel has done since 2008, while British Eurosport will also show highlights each evening of the day’s action.

Niall Sloane, ITV's Director of Sport, said: "Following our extremely popular coverage of this year’s Tour de France, we're delighted to bring ITV4 viewers live coverage and highlights of this country’s major cycling event with all the key action from The Tour of Britain.”

British Eurosport managing Director David Kerr said, “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to show every stage of The Tour of Britain live. The event continues to grow in stature and there is the promise of another top class field this year.

“The Tour of Britain is one of over 30 cycling events we will show live this year, including all three Grand Tours and confirms our position as the Home of Cycling.”

Further details of broadcast times for the live coverage and daily highlights will be confirmed in due course along with a series of announcements regarding the participation of teams and star riders.

In 2012 The Tour of Britain was shown in 124 countries worldwide to over 288 million homes. Details of the increased international distribution of the 2013 Tour will be announced in late August.